{"id":1561,"date":"2014-09-25T15:13:38","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T15:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.gre.ac.uk\/greengreenwich\/?page_id=1561"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:40:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T14:40:55","slug":"sustainability-champions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gre.ac.uk\/greengreenwich\/sustainability-champions\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Champions Network"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"color: #333333\">The Green Champions are a vital part of our sustainable actions, which align with our <a title=\"Net Carbon by 2030 Plan\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.gre.ac.uk\/rep\/ef\/net-zero-carbon-by-2030-plan-zeroby30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Net Zero Carbon by 2030 Plan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a title=\"Sustainability Policy\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.gre.ac.uk\/rep\/ef\/sustainability-policy2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sustainability Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #333333\">The relaunched network is staff-led and co-created. The aim is to create a network of staff with a common interest in sustainability, and empower them to promote behavioural change in the university.<strong> Until June 2024, we have 80 champions across 3 campuses!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>If you are a champion you can:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Help make sustainability happen<\/strong>\u00a0in your team and drive the change you want to see.<\/li>\n<li>Join an\u00a0<strong>enthusiastic network<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>of staff<\/strong>\u00a0who are interested in sustainability to share ideas and make new contacts.<\/li>\n<li>Receive\u00a0<strong>training<\/strong>\u00a0and attend\u00a0<strong>events<\/strong>\u00a0to boost your knowledge and skills.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have fun!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>What does it take to be a Green Champion?<\/h3>\n<p>You do not need any prior knowledge or skills.\u00a0 You just need enthusiasm in nature and the environment, and commitment to engage staff in sustainability!<\/p>\n<h3>Time Commitment<\/h3>\n<p>Expected to be on average no more than 1 hour per week. Training and meetings normally take place once in every 1-2 months.<\/p>\n<h3>Trainings<\/h3>\n<p>Throughout the year we have conducted trainings under different themes, including eco-footprint, carbon and energy, biodiversity, waste management and sustainable food. We have also conducted trainings focusing on various skill sets, such as problem solving, communication, project management.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Staff-led Evaluation:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul data-editing-info=\"{&quot;applyListStyleFromLevel&quot;:false,&quot;unorderedStyleType&quot;:2}\">\n<li>\n<div role=\"presentation\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">The Pharmacy Department audited the use of physical resources use each year and realised the huge amount of paper and plastic used in OSCE exams.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div role=\"presentation\">In 2024\/25, one of the Green Champions (GC) from the department developed an eAssess system to replace use of paper. This has successfully reduced the amount of assessment sheets by 96%, and use of plastic (laminating pouches) by 80%.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div role=\"presentation\">In 2025\/26, the GC continued to work on the reduction of resources use. Both the use of assessment sheets and laminating pouches\u00a0were reduced to zero. GC has also upgraded the eAssess system to make it more simple and user-friendly.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div role=\"presentation\">Planning for 2026\/27, GC will look at how to reduce student facing paper resources, another source of paper use.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Champion Spotlights<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Mary McCartney<\/strong> at the Faculty of Business is the sustainability driver in her Faculty ensuring all staff and aware of and engaged in key sustainability programmes. She has a welcomed role in running the charity plant sale that raises funds for local charities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Caroline Troy<\/strong> is a dynamic and committed Champion helping push the agenda in our Medway Campus. She undertakes internal audits for our ISO14001 accreditation, and helps encourage staff in the NRI to the small changes too.\u00a0 <em>&#8220;We cancelled our bottled water contract and encouraged staff to drink tap water, we keep track of who travels where and by what means &#8211; whether in the UK or overseas &#8211; and we have been looking into off-setting our carbon emissions &#8211; in 2020\/21 is are aiming to reduce our travel emissions within the NRI through a formalised strategy.\u00a0 We also collect data on who our visitors travelled to the campus, our management team meeting has gone paperless, we print publications\/invoices\/leaflets on recycled paper, and we have participated in Green Week, Climate Week and Fairtrade Fortnight since the beginning of 2012.<\/em>\u00a0<em>In addition we are working on making our laboratories greener including looking at projects to improve the energy used by our greenhouses and controlling the energy used by our CT suite. But there is still a lot more to accomplish.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The HR department including <strong>Liz Lawrence and Anna Radley<\/strong> have over many years worked as their Directorate&#8217;s Sustainability Champions helping ensure sustainability is integrated in int Directorate functions and activities. They are also central to the initiative to collect food from our Avery Hill Campus site to donate to the local food bank.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/drillhalllib\/status\/1014058677576364032\">Our Library Services<\/a> undertake annual collections of books that are donated to schools in the developing world. Co-ordinated by one of our Champion, <strong>Rhiannon Matthews<\/strong> this project has made a significant difference, sending thousands of books to those who may not otherwise be able to obtain them.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"color: #333333\">If you are interested:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Read the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.gre.ac.uk\/rep\/ef\/green-champions-network\">info sheet<\/a>\u00a0for more details<\/li>\n<li>Fill in the form\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=CvQWNelaVkm7qzlRYuWJzuYdjA5bc7dMk9m6SIkYVKlUN0owWVIwRDU1TFgxVFo4Q1pNT1M0UE1WQy4u\">here<\/a> to join the network<\/li>\n<li>Any questions please contact <a href=\"mailto:sustainability@gre.ac.uk\">sustainability@gre.ac.uk<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Green Champions are a vital part of our sustainable actions, which align with our Net Zero Carbon by 2030 Plan\u00a0and\u00a0Sustainability Policy. The relaunched network is staff-led and co-created. The aim is to create a network of staff with a common interest in sustainability, and empower them to promote behavioural&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.gre.ac.uk\/greengreenwich\/sustainability-champions\/\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":1671,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1561","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6322,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.gre.ac.uk\/greengreenwich\/awards-accreditations\/","url_meta":{"origin":1561,"position":0},"title":"Awards &amp; Accreditations","author":"David Jackson","date":"5 July 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We are proud of our progress in the application and delivery of sustainable development and are placed 7th out of all universities and colleges in the UK for our sustainability performance in the People and Planet University League. 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